Alabama is finalizing a deal with previous Houston Texans mentor Bill O’Brien to be the Crimson Tide’s next offensive coordinator, sources told ESPN.
O’Brien was in the Alabama football complex Wednesday. He likewise invested energy around the group a week ago paving the way to the College Football Playoff National Championship game.
Saban was gotten some information about O’Brien on Wednesday during a Zoom news gathering paving the way to the declaration of the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year Award, which Saban won later Wednesday night.
Saban adulated O’Brien’s assemblage of work and considered him a remarkable mentor, and despite the fact that Saban didn’t formally declare O’Brien as Alabama’s new hostile organizer, he said that O’Brien would “do a great job with our players here.”
Saban added, “I’ve always tried to have the best knowledge and experience I can for our players and their development, and I certainly think [O’Brien] can contribute to that in a very positive way.”
O’Brien, who likewise filled in as the Texans’ head supervisor a year ago, was terminated four games into the 2020 season. That is subsequent to driving the Texans to season finisher appearances in four of his initial six seasons in Houston.
O’Brien, 51, replaces Steve Sarkisian, who left Alabama to take the Texas head-training position.
While his latest instructing experience was in the NFL, O’Brien likewise has a long history of coaching in college. He was Penn State’s lead trainer in 2012-13, assisting with reconstructing the program following the Jerry Sandusky outrage and NCAA sanctions that followed. O’Brien was Duke’s hostile organizer in 2005-06 and Georgia Tech’s hostile facilitator in 2001-02.
Like Saban, O’Brien likewise has solid connections to Bill Belichick and trained under Belichick with the New England Patriots for five seasons from 2007 to ’11, the last season as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator.
O’Brien will be Saban’s seventh distinctive offensive coordinator, returning to Jim McElwain, who left after the 2011 season to take the Colorado State head-coaching position.
Saban likewise has a hostile line position to fill on his staff, as Kyle Flood is going with Sarkisian to Texas to be the Longhorns’ hostile coordinator/offensive line mentor, sources affirmed to ESPN.
